Process and apparatus for decolorizing oil



June 9, 1953 s. ARTHURS 2,641,574

' PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DECOLORIZING OIL Filed July 21, 1949 CONSTANT HEAD HOPPER 5UP PLY HOPPER cnmceou.

TO FILTER INVENTOR. 5TANLE ARTH uRS ATTORNEYS. v

Patented June 9, 1953 1 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR DECOLORIZING 011.

Stanley Arthurs, Solon, Ohio, assignor to The Standard Oil Company,

poration of Ohio Cleveland, Ohio, a cor- 7 Application July 21, 1949, Serial 105,941

A more or less common practice in refining and decolorizing oils is to admix a pulverulent contact agent, usually clay, with the oil and after a desired contact time filter the oil. Considerable accomplished however, in continuous manner with accuracy and without difficulty from mudding or clumping of the pulverulent agent.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention then comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing, the sole figure represents a schematic showing of the apparatus in accordance with the invention.

In general, the invention provides a feed of pulverulent contact agent in the form of a mass thereof agitated and fluidized by air or other inert gas, and a constant head of such is maintained in feeding relation to a stream of oil for mixing. As seen in the drawing, a supply hopper 2 for the pulverulent contact agent has a connection 3 below to a piping arrangement 4 through which air is forced. An ejector 5, on the order of a Venturilike eductor, as well known. may be applied at the juncture between the pipes 3 and 4. The latter pipe leads into the bottom of a constant head hopper 6, thereby maintaining an agitated fluidized mass of the pulverulent clay or other contact agent with the propelling air or gas, and an overflow connection 1 leads from the said hopper back into the supply hopper 2. It is seen from this, that the constant head hopper 6 contains continuously a definite volume of agitated pulverulent material as stirred up and mixed with the air flow. From the lower portion of the constant head hopper a connection 8 leads to an eductor 9 on an oil supply pipe II). The latter, supplied by a pump I I or other desired source of constant feed pressure, provides a branched arrangement 2 Claims. (Cl. 196147) in which the portion ID has a bypass 02 around the eductor. The valves l3 and I4 control the respective flows throughthe by-pass and'through the "eductor connection. A diversion l5 may be provided to lead to a calibrating container [5 which may be used'initially to calibrate the amount of relative supply at diiferent openings of the valves l3 and Hi. This diversion outlet branch is controlled by valves I1 and [8. By applying valves l 3 and M of a type which have wideswing controls and graduations showing the relative amount of opening of the valve, the setting of the valves may be definitely shown at all times. To initially calibrate, such as'to be able to correlate the indicated extent of the opening of the valves, a calibrating receptacle It for the time being-is placed at the outlet of the diversion l5, and with the oil pressure and air pressure applied, the valves l3 and I4 are opened to respectively indicated extents and the amount of pulverulent agent discharged in admixture per small unit of time is ascertained, and so on successively for various settings of the valves. Ordinarily, the valve I3 is continuously open to an extent, and the valve I4 is used more directly for adjustment of proportion of pulverulent agent feed. Thus, in any case, with the initial use of the calibrating receptacle IS, the proportional rate of feed for any designated valve settings may be established for the material. In general clay may be fed at a rate of '2 to 25 lbs. per bbl. of oil, and the slurry may be heated to 250-550 F., and contact for 15-90 minutes.

If a small feed. of air be introduced through an air supply pipe l9 just above the eductor 9, any packing or clogging in the pipe 8 is prevented and the material is maintained free flowing as the air escapes up to the hopper 6 and the granular material falls and is swept into the oil stream. The pipe 8 is in every case as short as practicable. From the mixing portion of the apparatus as before-noted, the pipe carrying the oil and suspended pulverulent agent proceeds preferably through a furnace chamber 20 in which it is raised to the desired temperature for the material in treatment, and thence the pipe 2! leads into a contact tank 22. After a desired contact time, the mixture is drawn off through outlet 23 to a filter, and the pulverulent agent is filtered out of the oil.

As pulverulent contact agent, most commonly contact clays of commercial source are employed, however, special clays, diatomaceous earth, mixtures including pulverulent alkalies, alkaline earths, etc., can be employed; and in fact any material which can be fed in pulverulent states,

as for instance coal, etc., can be slurried in a liquid in this manner.

As an example: a sulphuric acid treated clay is supplied at the rate of lbs./bbl. of oil total as the oil of for instance 140 SSU at 100 F. is supplied past valve l4 and valve 13 in ratio of 1:2 respectively, and the mixture leaves the furnace at about 450 F.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed, change being made as regards the details described, provided the features stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of such be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. Apparatus for the de-colorizing of fluid oils comprising a supply hopper for a pulverulent contact agent, a constant head hopper, a conduit between the bottom of the supply hopper-and the bottom of the constant head hopper, a source of gaseous pressure connected to the conduit for feeding the contact agent from the supply hopper to the constant head hopper to maintain a fluidized agitated mass of agent therein, an overflow conduit from the upper part of the constant head hopper to the supply hopper, an oil supply pipe, an eductor in the oil supply pipe, a conduit from the constant head hopper intermediate the top and bottom thereof to the eductor wherein the contact agent is fed into the oil, a connection in the last named conduit providing air to maintain the contact agent in an agitated state and prevent clogging in the conduit, and a receiving tank beyond the eductor in combination with means for proportioning the rate of the pulverulent agent and oil reeds including a regulating valve in the oil supply pipe, a by-pass pipe around said valve and saideductor, and a regulating valve in said by-pass pipe.

2. The process of de-colorizing fluid oils comprising feeding a pulverulent contact agent from the bottom of a supply source to the bottom of a, constant head zone through a conduit by introducing a gas under pressure into the conduit and maintaining a fluidized agitated mass of agent in the constant head zone, passing the overflow of the agent from the upper part of the constant head zone back to the source of supply, feeding the oil through a conduit having an entraining zone therein, feeding the contact agent from an intermediate portion of the constant head zone to the entraining zone through a conduit connecting the two zones feeding an additional pressurized gas into the last named conduit to maintain the agent in an agitated state and prevent clogging in the conduit, proportioning the rate of feed of the pulverulentagent and oil by by-passing a. controlled amount of oil around the entr-aining zone, and collecting the oils and agent inv a receiving tank.

STANLEY ARTHURS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,616,547 Pontoppidan Feb. 8, 1927 1,881,044 Cannon Oct. 4, 1932 1,894,323 Osterstrom Jan. 17, 1933 1,894,331 Watson Jan. 17, 1933 1,930,597 Osters'trom et a1. Oct. 17, 1933 2,420,761 Thomas May 20, 1947 2,440,623 Voorhees Apr. 27, 1948 

2. THE PROCESS OF DE-COLORIZING FLUID OILS COMPRISING FEEDING A PULVERULENT CONTACT AGENT FROM THE BOTTOM OF A SUPPLY SOURCE TO THE BOTTOM OF A CONSTANT HEAD ZONE THROUGH A CONDUIT BY INTRODUCING A GAS UNDER PRESSURE INTO THE CONDUIT AND MAINTAINING A FLUIDIZED AGITATED MASS OF AGENT IN THE CONSTANT HEAD ZONE, PASSING THE OVERFLOW OF THE AGENT FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE CONSTANT HEAD ZONE BACK TO THE SOURCE OF SUPPLY, FEEDING THE OIL THROUGH A CONDUIT HAVING AN ENTRAINING ZONE THEREIN, FEEDING THE CONTACT AGENT FROM AN 